Vacuum cleaner



July 13, 1943. R. c. LAMPE 2,324,306

VACUUM CLEANER h Filed July 25 1941 42 r I 20 .3 (35 5013 [45 v i I' 15 16 5 5 l* z3 A K 17 J0 ef 0 15 4 F- 1- 29 36 43 38 [35 I l ,l/Jlffqe [30* flfi [45 40 k3? l iz 12 4 J1 A n mi i6 v JQ HM VENTOR.

MM@ M ATTORNEY.

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Patented July 13, 1943 Robert C. Lampe, Springdale, Conn., asslgnor to Electrolux Corporation, Dover, Del., a. corpora- -tion of Delaware Application July 25, 1941, Serial No. 403,910

2 Claims.

This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and particularly to vacuum cleaners of the so-called inside bag type having a dust separator and a motor-fan unit located in a cleaner housing.

Vacuum cleaners of this type, and their mode of use, are well known. The cleaner unit rests on runners by means of which it may be pulled over the door or carpet. The operator generally holds the wand containing the cleaning nozzle, which is connected to the cleaner unit by means of a flexible hose, and pulls the hose to draw the cleaner unit over the floor on its runners.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a vacuum cleaner unit of the above type having side bumpers which are constructed and secured to the cleaner unit in a new and improved manner, and having a novel latching device for detachably securing the front cover to the cleaning unit, the entire construction being such that it is easily assembled and presents a neat and pleasing appearance without sharp edges or projecting parts which might scratch or dent furniture in the room which is being cleaned.

The various features and advantages of/y the invention may be better understood by reference to the following specification and appended claims when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal side elevation of a vacuum cleaner embodying the invention;

The vacuum cleaner shown in the drawing is of the inside bag type and included a cylindrical housing' i0 containing a dust bag Il indicated in Fig. 3, and a motor-fan unit, not shown.

The forward end of the vacuum cleaner is provided with a cover I2 which is secured to the housing in a manner hereinafter described, providing access to dust bag II within the housing. Cover I2 is provided with a suitable coupling member I3 for attachment to a flexible hose I4, by which the cleaner may be pulled by the operator. The hose I4 is attached to a hollow wand I5 to which is connected the nozzle I6.

' of the drawing. Onboth sides of the Vacuum The cleaner unit rests on runners I1 by means of which it may be pulled over the door or oarpet. The upper portion of housing I 0 is pro Avided with a ridge I8. An elongated handle I3 handle is above the motor-fan compartment which is at the center of gravity of the cleaner unit. The rear of the vacuum cleaner housing Il is closed by means of a cover 20. The construction so far described forms no part of the present invention.

The construction and mounting of the latch for detachably securing cover I2 to the front of housing I0, which is an important feature of the present invention, is best shown in Figs. l to 4 cleaner housing I0, at points diametrically opposite each other, the wall of said housing I0 is depressed to form a substantially rectangular longitudinal recess 22 having a bottom wall 23 as shown in Fig. 3. Countersunk in each of said recesses 22 is an elongated dished plate 24 having side flanges 25 which rest on the housing I0 when said plate is seated in recess 22.

Seated within the dished plate 24 is a. countersunk latch including AA`a securing member 21 which is riveted at 28 to the bottom of said plate 24 and to the bottom wall 23 of the recess 22. the forward end of said securing member 21 having two spaced lugs 29 which project upwardly therefrom as shown in Fig. 3. The actuating member 30 of the latch is pivoted to said lugs 29 by means of a pivot pin 3|, thus permitting the actuating member to be swung up or down about its pivot 3I. The latch actuating member 30 has arms 34, and a catch member 33 constituting the other element of the latch is provided with spaced depending lugs 36 which project downwardly between said arms 34 and are pivoted to the actuating member 30of the latch by means of a pivot pin 31. It will thus be seen that the actuating member 30 of the latch is freely movable into and out of the recess 22 about the pivot 3l, while the catch member 35 constituting part of the latch is pivoted to the actuating member 30 at 31 and may therefore be moved freely up and down with respect to said member 30.

The free end of catch member 35 is bent or A curved downwardly to provide a lip 38 which is in detail in Figs. 5 and 5.

f At their forward ends the respective bumpers rivets 4I to the cover I2 within a channel-shaped rib 42 which is attached to said cover I2. The said. rib 42 on the cover I2 is provided with an opening 4l directly above the spring 40 to permit the lip 38 oi catch member 35 to enter said opening 43 and engage the complementary lip I9 oi the spring catch member 40.

It will be understood that the cover I2 is provided with two such spring members 4I) which are arranged diametrically opposite each other in the cover I2 for engagement with the respective catches of the two latch members, and that the latch members are similarly positioned on diametrically opposite sides of the cylindrical housing Ill as previously described.

The side bumpers 45 of the vacuum cleaner unit are likewise two in number and comprise elongated channel-shaped strips of metal, plastic, or other suitable material which extend horizontally along the cylindrical housing I0, said bumpers thus forming raised ridges which extend outwardly from the sides of the housing I throughout the length of the housing and form side continuations o! ythe ribs 42 on the cover. A

Adjacent the rear end of said housing, at diametrically opposite points in horizontal alignment with the respective latch recesses 22 and the ribs 42 of cover I2, I provide clips 41 which are secured to the face of the housing, preferably by welding. On the under or channelled faces of bumpers 46, in position to mate with the respective clips 4l, I provide U-shaped ledges 4l which are adapted to be slipped beneath the clips 41 in the manner oi a bayonet joint to secure the rear ends'of the respeotivebumpers 4I to the vacuum cleaner housing I0 as shown 4I are secured to the housing I0 of the vacuum cleaner by means of` bolts 50 as shown in Figsi 3 and 4, and the .face of each oi said bumpers 45 is provided with an elongated rectangular slot II which exactly overlies the adjacent dished plate 24 and thus aiords free access to the actuating member 20 and the catch 35 of the latch which is mounted in said dished plate 24 as previously described.

In securing 'the respective side bumpers to the vacuum cleaner housing, the rear end of each bumper, which is to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, is irst adjusted in place so that the U-shaped ledge 48 slips beneath the cooperating clip 4l n.; shown in Fig. 5, thus locking the rear end o! the bumper upon the housingl I0. The 'forward end of each bumper is then secured in place. by means of the bolt-50 as previously described. The elongated slots I in the forward faces o! the bumpers then overlie the respective latch.

members, the actuating members 30 and catches 8l oi' said latches being freely movable through ssidslots 5I aboutv their respective pivots il and II as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 shows the vacuum cleaner completely assembled and ready for use. sired to remove the front cover I2, this may be accomplished instantly `by inserting the linger beneath the actuating member of each latch When it is de and swinging said actuating member upwardly upon its pivot 2|. Such movement of actuating member causes the connected catch Ii to move toward the left as viewed inliigs. 1 to 3, thereby releasing the lip 38 of said catch from engagement with the complementary lip n o! the cooperating spring catch member 40 in the cover I2. The catch 35, when thus released, is free to move upwardly about its pivot 31, per- `mitting the vcover I2 to be removed from the vacuum cleaner housing I0. When it is desired to replace the cover I2 the foregoing operation is simply reversed, the lip 3l of catch member 25 being pressed downwardly about its pivot 31 into engagement with the complementary lip 39 of spring catch member 4t after which the .actuating member 30 of the latch is depressed against the tension ci' spring 40 until said actuating member 30 lies flush with the bumper within the contines of the countersunk dished plate 24 and secures the cover by catches which are mounted in the cover. This not only simpliiies the construction and assembly of the latch elements, but it also enables the number of latch parts to be reduced to a minimum and to be confined within a small area adjacent the forward ends oi' the bumpers with which they -are associated.

The invention claimed is:

Vl. A vacuum cleanerhousing adaptedv to be pulled around on the floor, said housing com.

prising a hollow member having an opening therein, a removable cover member therefor, bumper means attached to the side oi' the housing and formed with a recess adjacent to said opemng, and a toggle latch mounted on one-l of said members and adapted to engage a catch member on the other of said memberssaid latch being so mounted on said one oi said members that when locked it lies substantially entirely ISO within the recess formed in said bumper means.

2. In a vacuum cleaner', an open-ended housing therefor, a removable cover for the front end of said housing providing access to the interior thereof, detachable side bumpers extending longitudinally oi said housing.' concealed separable fastening members carried by said housing and said side bumpers respectively adapted to secure the rear ends of said bumpers t0 said housing, means 'securing the iront ends of said bumpers to said housing. and cover-securing latches at the front ends of said bumpers over.- lying and concealing said last-mentioned securizeeans. ROBERT C. LAMPE. 

